QUARTER-FINALS
Germany 3-1 Wales
Werner 24'
Werner 26'
Brooks 76'
Kimmich 77'
Kieran O’Brien
Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
Saturday 4th July
As the age-old football cliché goes, ‘it’s the hope that kills you’. A run to the quarter finals, culminating in a respectable defeat to a pre-tournament favourite, is surely a scenario which most Wales supporters would have been more than happy to see play out as Euro 2020 began, with Ryan Giggs’ side unfancied by many to emerge from their group. Yet as the final whistle sounded at Baku Olympic Stadium tonight, there was a palpable disappointment etched in the faces of Welsh players and fans alike. There is certainly no disgrace in losing to a star-studded Germany side who dismantled Holland in the previous round, but after the wonderful performance against Denmark there was a growing belief that Wales could once again defy the odds and reach the last four for the second consecutive European Championships. As it transpired, Wales rarely looked the more likely to secure a semi-final berth, with Joachim Low’s outfit showcasing a ruthless flair that will leave few betting against them to win the Henri Delauney trophy.
In a tournament held across twelve cities, Wales were remarkably playing in Baku for the third time in five matches. Giggs joked in a pre-match press conference that Baku is now Wales’ ‘second home’, and anybody who experienced yet another rousing rendition of ‘Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ before kick off would not argue that the Welsh have left their mark on the Azerbaijani capital. Wales were unchanged from the previous round as were their German counterparts, with Low keeping Ilkay Gundogan in tournament wilderness following his highly controversial interview in which he criticised several of his teammates.
Welsh supporters had travelled impressively considering the cost of three round trips to Baku within a month, and remarkably appeared to outnumber German fans in the Baku stands. On the pitch, their team looked to make this ‘home’ advantage count early, with full-backs Connor Roberts and Neco Williams immediately looking to push forward as they had so effectively against Denmark. This bold attacking approach almost paid dividends after just eight minutes, as Williams played a smart one-two with Ethan Ampadu in midfield. His quick, incisive pass found Gareth Bale on the edge of the German box, whose fine, looping effort forced an acrobat save from Manuel Neuer.
Welsh supporters behind Neuer’s goal roared in appreciation, urging their side to continue their daring approach. However, this moment proved to be a German catalyst for change rather than an indicator of the game’s trajectory. Welsh attacking quickly gave way to Welsh chasing, as Germany took control of the game and absolutely dominated possession. Toni Kroos and Joshua Kimmich were imperious in midfield, dictating the tempo of the game and countering Giggs’ inverted fullback approach with penetrating passes to wide men Serge Gnabry and Marco Reus. This pressure inevitably told on 24 minutes, as Germany took the lead. Kimmich muscled Will Vaulks off the ball perhaps a bit too easily in midfield, before releasing Gnabry down the left-hand side. The Bayern Munich man’s pace was far too much for Roberts, who was helpless to prevent a low cross from reaching Timo Werner. The Leipzig forward made no mistake from ten yards out, prodding home past a stretching Wayne Hennessey.
Just two minutes later, Germany doubled their advantage. Gnabry was again heavily involved, with his trickery drawing a foul from Joe Rodon. The resulting free kick should have been straightforward enough for Hennessey to catch, but he inexplicably opted to palm the ball back into the penalty area. The resulting chance fell at the feet of Werner, who was all too happy to tap into an empty net and take his tournament tally to five goals. If salvaging a result from two down looked a tall order for Wales, it appeared almost impossible when the talismanic Bale limped off just before half time. Chasing a hopeful pass from Ben Davies, the Real Madrid man pulled up holding his hamstring and immediately signalled to the bench that he needed to be replaced. Giggs opted to introduce David Brooks in place of Bale; the returning-from-injury 22 year old is an exceptional talent, but Wales supporters and players alike must surely have been fearing that their hopes of qualification were disappearing with Bale down the Baku tunnel.
Germany continued their dominance into the second half, with Werner very nearly completing a hat-trick on 72 minutes. Reus fooled the increasingly beleaguered Rodon with a drop of the shoulder before flicking through to Werner; the combative 24 year old has been assured in front of goal all season in the Bundesliga but was wild here, shooting high and wide with only Hennessey to beat. Completely against the run of play, Wales punished this carelessness just four minutes later. Kieffer Moore had cut an isolated figure for swathes of the game but did well to trap a long pass and hold off Niklas Sule, before teeing up Brooks on the edge of the area. The Bournemouth man made no mistake, shooting hard and low to Neuer’s left.
Moore immediately grabbed the ball from the German net as Brooks defiantly signalled to the Welsh support and, for a moment, Wales looked back in the game. However, this German side are beginning to show the ruthlessness of tournament winners. From the resulting kick off Kroos slid the ball to Gnabry, who immediately moved the ball infield to Werner. Werner’s deft flick found Reus, who in turn found the marauding Kimmich. Played through on goal, the Bayern midfielder executed an impudent chip over the advancing Hennessey; the resulting celebrations from Low and his coaching staff indicating that they knew this was the game clincher. Wales struggled to assert themselves in the game at all after this killer blow from Kimmich, as Germany looked content to see out the game by retaining possession and sitting on a two-goal lead.
The disappointment at full time demonstrated that Wales were far from their best in Baku. In another sense however, it was an indicator of just how far the Welsh have come in this tournament. Visibly upset to be eliminated by a world-class German outfit, this young group of players will enter qualification for the 2022 World Cup with a winning mentality to match their undoubted talent. Germany, meanwhile, will take some stopping. If they can continue performing at this level, we may well see Germany triumphing in Europe for the first time since 1996.
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich